I discovered Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products awhile back when my mom came home with a bottle of hand soap she had purchased.  It was the best smelling hand soap and I was intrigued because I had never heard of the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day product line.  Since then, I have made several purchases of those hand soaps and I just can’t get enough!

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is an eco-friendly, affordable line of aromatherapeutic household cleaners, laundry care and baby products that combine hardworking, naturally occurring ingredients and essential oils that are tough on dirt, yet gentle on your home and earth. Available in garden-fresh scents of Basil, Lavender, Lemon Verbena, Geranium, Baby Blossom, Bluebell and Rosemary, these products are biodegradable, packaged in recyclable bottles, don’t include ammonia, chlorine bleach, parabens or phosphates and are never tested on animals.

This holiday season, treat those who appreciate great smelling candles with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day limited edition Holiday Candle Tins.

The tins come in two scents.  Choose from Orange Clove or Iowa Pine.  Each aromatherapeutic and eco-conscience soy candle smells great and retails for just $2.50 at Target stores nationwide.  They make a great stocking stuffer or holiday happy!  The Orange Clove is my very favorite and makes our home smell just like the holidays!

You can also purchase Mrs. Meyer’s Season’s Cleaning Holiday Gift Sets, which include a hand soap, countertop spray, and liquid dish soap, all packaged in a festive holiday box and ready for gift giving!  These are $11.99 and also come in the Iowa Pine and Orange Clove scents.

For each purchase made of these holiday Season’s Cleaning sets, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation, a non-profit conservation and education organization of one million members who are committed to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

I can think of several people on my holiday list who would love these products and I plan to purchase a few sets for gift-giving.  Be sure and add these great smelling gifts to your holiday shopping list!

I was sent the candle tins pictured above to help facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Are you busily preparing for the upcoming holidays?  Perhaps you are running errands, shopping for ingredients to make your signature holiday dishes, or even getting a jump start on your gift shopping.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the hustle and bustle and forget to take a little time for ourselves.

Keurig owners will be delighted to know that Café Escapes K-Cups are now available and offer a sweet, satisfying escape!  If you love chocolate, you will love the variety of the Café Escapes K-Cups!

These K-Cups are only 70 calories or less, so you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging yourself!  With flavors like classic Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa, Café Caramel and Café Vanilla, you are sure to find a flavor that will become your favorite.  These are also great to keep on hand for holiday visitors who may not drink coffee.  I personally love making myself a cup of Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa and curling up on the couch to watch TV.  I only drink coffee in the mornings, so this is the perfect hot comfort beverage for me in the evenings.

Café Escapes K-Cup packs are available online at GreenMountainCoffee.com, in grocery stores, and in national retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond. 

Use code ESCAPE8162 for an additional 15% off all Café Escapes products.  This offer is valid through 12/4/2012 @ 11:59 pm EST on GreenMountainCoffee.com.

I was sent Café Escapes samples to facilitate my post as an ambassador for Keurig/Green Mountain Coffee. All opinions are my own.

Growing up, I don’t think my mom ever owned a Maytag appliance, but I definitely remember the old Maytag commercials.  You know, the ones with the Maytag repairman just sitting around waiting on someone to call him to repair their appliance.  The problem?  The appliances were built so well and performed so great that he was never needed to make a repair.

Dependability and innovation throughout generations is what Maytag is known for.  Just comparing my new Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer to my old washer and dryer, I can tell you that these machines perform so much better, my clothes smell so much fresher, and I am still blown away by the technology put into these machines. 

Just to remind you what I was working with before, here is a picture of my old washer and dryer set:

And here are my new Maytag Bravos XL machines:

That’s quite a difference aesthetically, but all of the features on the Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer are what really excites me.  I have a Cold Cycle, an Allergen Cycle, and the detergent is dispensed and mixed just perfectly in the washer thanks to the PowerSpray Technology. The Clean Washer setting alerts me when the machine needs cleaning automatically, so I just pop in an Affresh washer tablet and start the washing machine.  The washer’s SmoothClose, Wide Opening Washer Lid uses a unique hinge design that allows the lid to close slowly. This helps to prevent fingers from getting smashed or clothes from getting snagged. 

The dryer settings offer so many options to protect our delicate clothes from shrinkage and my absolute favorite setting on the dryer is the Steam Cycle, which allows me to fluff up clothes and rid them of wrinkles.  I think I’ve mentioned before how I hate to iron, so this particular setting gets used quite a bit!  My old washer and dryer set could do none of these things!  Whatever my laundry needs are, the Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer has them covered. 

I’m very pleased with our Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer set and would highly recommend them to anyone who is in the market for a new washer and/or dryer.  These machines are true workhorses and really take the guesswork out of how to do laundry, as well as handle much larger loads than your typical washer and dryer.  The time I spend on laundry has been cut in half and I love knowing that my machines were built to last.  These HE machines come in top or front load options at every price point, so be sure to explore them all when choosing your next washer and dryer.

Could you mom’s Maytag do that?

You can check out all of Maytag’s products here and also on Facebook.

See what other Maytag Moms are saying here and join the conversation!

I wrote this post as a #MayTagMoms Dependable Laundry Ambassador through mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with the Maytag washer and dryer set to facilitate my post.

Holiday shopping has now kicked off in earnest.  Do you love great deals but hate the crowds?  I know I do!  For many years I have relied on the internet for the majority of my Christmas shopping needs, and this year will be no exception.  One site I’ve also always turned to during the holidays in order to find the best prices, as well as to take advantage of the convenience of not having to venture out into the crowded stores, is eBay.

What can you find for anyone on your holiday shopping list on eBay?  Everything!  I can’t think of a single person I’m shopping for that I couldn’t find the perfect gift for them on eBay.  To show you how easy it really is to shop for anyone on your list, I created a list of my own for a few family members and friends I will be shopping for this holiday season:

For my 7 year old son:  Remote Control Helicopter

For my husband:  Call of Duty Black Ops 2 for XBOX 360

For Mom:  HP Digital Picture Frame

For Dad:  Food Saver

For Grandma:  Personalized Damask Tote Bag

For my new baby cousin:  Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Gym

For my cousin:  Monogrammed Kitchen Towels

For my aunt:  Kindle

For a friend:  Bath & Body Works Gift Set

For a co-worker:  Holiday Yankee Candle

Yes, you really can get all of this and so much more on eBay!  Not sure what to get someone on your list?  Try out eBay’s Holiday Gift Guide to get some great suggestions.  If you are pressed for time during the holidays and can’t squeeze in very much shopping into your schedule and you have a smart phone, you will love the eBay mobile app.  This will allow you to browse and purchase on eBay no matter where you are.  I’ve personally used this app while waiting at the doctor’s office.  It passes the time, gives me great ideas for gifts, and makes purchasing a snap.

Last minute shoppers, eBay has you covered, also!  If you don’t have time to wait on an auction to close, consider products with a Buy It Now feature, which allows you to instantly purchase an item.  I use this feature with just about everything I purchase on eBay because it saves me time.

The absolute best part of shopping on eBay, to me, is having all of my gifts delivered to my doorstep.  All I have to do is just wrap the gifts and they are ready to go!  Convenience and great deals are what my holiday shopping is all about, and I can’t think of a better place to find that than eBay.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of eBay. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.